Let Go of Your Burdens and Surrender Everything to God

     In the gospel of Mt 11, 28-30, the Lord summarizes the invitation to discipleship that characterizes His earthly ministry.

To understand this invitation of this message about “come to me,” we have to understand the context in which it was made. In this gospel, Jesus is addressing the people of Israel who are feeling overwhelmed and burdened by the excessive rules of the Pharisees. As a result, these people struggle with the guilt, frustration, and restlessness that these hard rules bring to them.

         For example, in the this verse Matthew 23:2, Jesus refers to the Scribes and the Pharisees as men who sit in “the seat of Moses.” Keep in mind that the Pharisees said they had the authority of Moses as interpreters and teachers of the Law. In other words, whatever rule they command in Israel, it has to be summited as it was for Moses.

That is why, Jesus warns the people about the oppressive and legalistic ways of the Pharisees. He says, “And they bind heavy burdens, and place them on men’s shoulders.” With this, Jesus is talking about how the Pharisees, with the many religious rules and regulations, have hidden the true meaning of the Old Testament. So, these religious externalists are misleading true spirituality, which is God’s way—not humans’ way—of receiving blessings in life. For example, the Pharisees had created 365 prohibitions and 250 commandments thereby losing the spirit of the Law.

         But, although the law of the Old Testament was good, holy, and just, it did not give freedom. Because it did not provide the means by which to fulfill the law, people had to struggle with the guilt and burden of sin. Actually, more than freedom, the Law brought oppression, which Paul considered as an “administration of death.” Instead of a sense of liberation, there was a sense of guilt and failure.That is why that in this context, Jesus brings a very kind and loving invitation to all those who want to experience the relief, joy, and blessings of His life through a relationship of grace and faith in Him. 

       The invitation is to take up the yoke of Jesus and learn from Him. So, then, what is the yoke of Jesus? Again, to understand this, first, we have to understand that the Jews used the word yoke in the figurative sense of submitting to something. For a long time, they tried to submit to the yoke of the law, but they failed constantly because the rules were to much for an imperfect human to bear. Jesus responds by saying, “My yoke is easy.” Now the word easy in Greek literally means “fits well.” The yokes of the donkey were made of wood. The animal was taken to the carpenter to take its measurements. Then the wood was roughened. Later, the animal was taken again to test the yoke in such a way that it would fit the beast well enough to not cause harm while wearing it. 

         We can easily imagine Jesus using this metaphor, right? After all, as a carpenter, for sure, he had to have made many of yokes before beginning His ministry. No wonder Jesus tells us: “My yoke fits perfectly into your life; I have the perfect plan that will not hurt you and will lead you to happiness.” In other words, whatever God intends for us will “fit” exactly our needs and abilities. But, let us not confuse happiness with NOT having problems.

God calls people burdened with sin, distressed by the injustice of life, frustrated by failures and, in general, anyone who is tired of fighting the difficulties of life. This was Jesus’ ministry: to seek out the neediest and most marginalized of society. The evidence of this is abundantly clear. Jesus did not develop His ministry in a palace, advising kings and princes as the religious leaders of His time did. Nor was His base in Jerusalem, the capital of the kingdom where the people were the wealthiest and most powerful.

        Indeed, most of His ministry was in Galilee, a region with a poor reputation, simple people without education and with ordinary jobs such as fishermen. Jesus did not visit palaces. To the contrary, He sat among prostitutes and publicans to preach His gospel of the Kingdom of God. Jesus did not come to attain riches and power but to tend to all those who are tired and distressed. Jesus came to offer us rest from the burdens of life. We just need to come to Him and submit to His yoke, that is, His lordship, to find true peace. As Jesus Himself says: “I have spoken these things to you so that in me you may have peace. In the world they will have trouble; but trust me, I have overcome the world.”

         Brothers and Sisters, if the pressures of work, family problems, strained relationships, etc. have oppressed us to the point we feel as if we cannot breathe, let us go to Jesus. As long as we can learn to let go of burdens and surrender everything to God, we can be at peace and easily receive happiness.

Fr. Jesus